


Rediscover | Hiatus

by indigoat



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, M/M, Road Trips, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7278427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigoat/pseuds/indigoat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a whole new kind of road trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Enrollment

“There has to be something I can do.” James Kirk knew he sounded desperate, but he was out of time. The spring term was over, and staying at the academy for the summer would be hell after last month’s incident with Finney. The Starfleet officer he was addressing, a woman in her early sixties with her hair pulled back into a tight bun, looked down at her PADD, then back at Jim.

“I’m sorry, Mister Kirk, but there are no available summer programmes for you to take. Why don’t you return home for the summer?”

“Yeah, alright,” Jim said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Thanks for checking.” He stood up and left the office, feeling an emptiness spread through his chest. Home was never an option, and now, thanks to the incident, neither was staying at the academy for the summer holiday.

Due to his late enrollment, he’d mostly been given evening and night classes, which meant he was asleep or studying while the rest of the class was awake. It was hard to make friends that way, but he had managed to become friendly with a young man whom he met on the shuttle to the academy. Ben Finney, a New Mexico native, was friendly and intelligent, looking to join Starfleet for a position as an engineer. He had noon and evening classes, so the two often dined together in the mess hall, Finney for dinner and Jim for breakfast. Finney had even introduced Jim to a few of his friends, and they’d gone out together a couple of times when their schedules allowed.

Just when it seemed as if everything was falling into place, Finney asked Jim if he would mind filling in for him on a shuttle check. Every evening he was responsible for looking over the shuttles that came from space to Starfleet headquarters, making sure that they had been emptied, stabilised, and then backed away. Finney’s boyfriend, who had already graduated from Starfleet as an ensign, was returning from an assignment and would spend one night on Earth before being sent to another ship. The two had made plans to meet up, and Jim agreed readily to take over the shift, he thought it was the least he could do to repay his friend.

When Jim arrived at the hangar Finney was waiting for him wearing a pair of jeans and a tie rather than his red cadet uniform.

“I’ve already checked them over,” he said, walking Jim past the row of shuttles. “I just need you to relay them into their compartments.”

“Okay,” Jim said. He clapped Finney on the shoulder. “Hey, man, have fun tonight.”

“I will,” Finney replied, smiling. “Thanks again.”

“Yup.” Jim watched as Finney left the hangar, waved, then disappeared from sight. He walked over to the controls and pulled the lever, watching as the shuttles were pulled into their compartments. After they had all been tucked away, he switched off the controls and was leaving the hangar when he noticed an open vent circuit in the shuttle by the door. Left open it would contaminate the air in the hangar, and if any of the vehicles in the vicinity shifted to fusion power, the circuit would cause the entire hangar to blow up.

Jim immediately closed it, then returned to his room and filled out his log. Regulations stated he had to report all incidents, so he made a note of the open circuit but concluded that he had closed it off and no harm was done. After all, Finney had not been the one to leave the circuit open in the first place, and he was preoccupied with the plans he’d made. And if Kaplan, the overseer, was made aware of the issue he could ensure it didn’t happen again by any of the shuttle craft pilots.

The next morning he was woken by Finney shouting at him; Kaplan had reviewed the logs and found that he had left a circuit opening, endangering everyone in the vicinity.

“He’s put me on the bottom of the promotion list,” Finney shouted as Jim blearily tried to get his bearings. “Why’d you have to go and report every detail, you little arse-kisser?”

“I didn’t mean to get you into trouble—“ Jim tried to protest, but Finney was leaving.

“Yeah, you tell yourself that, Kirk.”

Over the next few weeks, rumours spread that Jim had been the one to make a mistake, and pinned it on Finney to escape punishment himself. Jim found himself totally alone; without coming in contact with anyone in his class, he was unable to clear his name and explain what had really happened. He had no desire to stay with the group for the summer, but as Starfleet had been unable to offer him a job, it seemed as if that would be exactly what he did.

He returned to his quarters and looked around the tiny room. His clothing and personal items had been packed into a small backpack, anticipating his departure. His PADD and other materials had been handed in, and all that remained was a stack of books he’d checked out. He scooped them up made his way to the library, then roamed the quiet halls. Students and staff who had finished administering and taking exams, or who had been assigned missions were gone, and the academy was emptier than Jim had seen it all year. He was walking by the Medbay when he heard an angry voice, perhaps taken less seriously due to the Southern accent, speaking quickly to the same women he’d seen himself half an hour earlier.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but we are unable to allow parties of two take a shuttlecraft seated for six, perhaps if you found another group to join—“

“Damnit woman, I’m tryin’ to help this poor bastard, the least you could do is make it easy for me.”

“The rules are clear, I’m sorry,” the woman said, sounding more irritated than sorry. She caught sight of Jim eavesdropping and he quickly ducked around the corner.

“Kirk? Come here, please.”

Shit, he groaned, stepping away from the wall. The man with the accent was short and wiry, with dark brown hair that was mussed up, like he’d been running his hands through it in aggravation. “Um, yes?”

“Doctor McCoy, Mister Kirk will join you on your shuttlecraft. Have a good summer.” She walked away, her boots clacking down the hallway with finality.

The man—Doctor McCoy—looked Jim over. “Guess you’re stuck with us, kid. Go get your bags, we’re leaving.”

“When?”

“Now. Come on.”


	2. Exploration

Jim waited until they had left earth’s atmosphere before he started asking questions. Their take off had been rough, and the doctor’s knuckles were still white with the force he was clutching the armrest with. Meanwhile, the doctor’s companion had not said a word, and was sitting in his seat with a stern expression on his face, like he was waiting for someone to break the rules just so he could tell them off. That, along with the pointed ears, made Jim guess that he was of Vulcan descent. 

“So…” he ventured, once they had safely reached space and the doctor looked like he was going to be able to keep his breakfast down. “Who are you? Where are we going?” He was all for spur of the moment plans, but they usually didn’t involve going off-planet with two strangers.

“I’m McCoy, Leonard McCoy,” the doctor said. “That’s Spock,” he added, nodding towards the Vulcan. “And you are?”

“James Kirk.”

“Kirk? One of your relatives involved in Starfleet?”

“Yeah.” Jim felt something in his stomach twist. “My father, he was a starship captain.”

McCoy nodded, then looked over the controls. “Our first destination is Talos IV. We should arrive there in a little under an hour.”

“Talos IV?” Jim repeated. “But I thought we weren’t allowed to visit there.”

“I got special permission from Starfleet,” McCoy told him. “I’ll explain when we get there,” he added, as Jim began to pose a question. 

“Alright.” Jim sat back down in his seat and looked over at the Vulcan, Spock. He hadn’t spoken at all, hadn’t even moved. He sighed. He was lucky to have caught a break, but it was going to be a long flight.

. . .

“James. James.”

Jim stirred sleepily then sat up straight, remembering where he was. “Yeah?”

“We’re here,” McCoy said. “Grab your bag.” He powered off the console and led Spock out of the door in the side of the shuttlecraft. Yawning, Jim picked up his bags and followed them outside and onto the planet’s surface. He blinked as the bright sun of Talos IV hit his eyes, and lifted a hand up to shield his face.

“This way,” McCoy said, pointing towards the west. He let Spock lead the way, falling into step with Jim. “We’re going to visit with Christopher Pike.”

“The old captain of the Enterprise?”

“That’s him. You may not know this, but he suffered radiation damage after saving some cadets on the USS Republic. It destroyed his body; he was in a wheelchair, hooked up to full life support, with a light hard wired into his brain to communicate with people, one blink for yes and two for no.”

“That’s awful.”

“Damn straight. Anyway, Starfleet forbids us to visit Talos IV because the Talosian illusion technology is so addictive. But Spock was Pike’s First Officer when they both served on the Enterprise, and when Spock heard of Pike’s accident, he smuggled him onto the ship he was serving on and flew him to Talos IV. Faced a court martial, too.”

“Really? That guy?” Jim asked, nodding at Spock. He certainly didn’t look like the type to break a rule.

“Yup. Spock brought Pike back here, so he wouldn’t be hindered by his physical obstacles. The Talosian technology is so strong he can transcend it.”

They reached the entrance of a large cave, where a Talosian was waiting for them. 

“Greetings, Commander Spock,” she said. Spock tilted his head inquisitively.

“Forgive me, I do not believe we have met before.”

“I was made aware of your arrival. Please follow me.”

“He knew her,” McCoy whispered to Jim as they followed the Talosian into the cave, Jim’s confusion mounting with each step.

“Captain Pike can be found through this door,” the Talosian said with a gentle smile on her face. “He is quite looking forward to your visit. If you need anything, please ask.” She bowed slightly, then made her way back up the tunnel they’d come through.

“Here goes,” McCoy said, stepping forward through the door. “C’mon, Spock.”

The cave was small and cosy, with a low ceiling, and twinkling lights casting a warm glow throughout the room. A number of Starfleet medals of honour had been adhered to the walls, as well as a few star charts and some framed photographs of who Jim guessed were relatives and friends of the captain. Based on what McCoy had told him, Jim had pictured Pike to be wheelchair bound and, and was most surprised to see him stand up from a wicker chair and place the book he was reading down on a side table. He walked towards the trio, his arm outstretched. 

“Doctor McCoy, Commander Spock, what a pleasure.”

“Good to see you, Captain,” McCoy said, grinning and shaking his hand.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” Spock said, offering his hand as well. Pike shot him a quizzical glance before turning to Jim. 

“And who’s this?”

“James Kirk, he’s a student at the academy,” McCoy said. “He’s coming along with us for the summer.” He turned to Jim. “Why don’t you and Spock take a look around, I need to have a word with the captain.”

“Alright,” Jim agreed, though he was reluctant to leave. Spock gave off an aura of being cold and distant, and Jim would much rather stay where he was, to try and get a few of his questions answered. Not wanting to appear insubordinate, however, he followed Spock out of the room.

Pike waited until their footsteps had passed before saying in a low voice to McCoy, “He’s really lost, isn’t he?”

McCoy nodded his head grimly. Spock had been admitted to the Medbay nearly five months ago with what McCoy would later diagnose as dissociative amnesia. In humans, it occurred when one blocked out a particularly traumatic memory, and was then unable to remember important information. As far as McCoy could figure, Spock’s upbringing on Vulcan—where emotions were controlled—had finally taken its toll on his human half. He spent so much time trying to block out feeling that something inside him snapped, leaving him unable to recall anything that had happened to him before he entered the infirmary. McCoy had spent the last five months trying every method in the book, but nothing would crack the barrier that Spock’s brain had put up. As the academic year drew to a close, he signed them up for a shuttlecraft, hoping that maybe, if he took Spock to see old companions and colleagues, something about their faces would help him open up again.

. . .

Jim climbed over a particularly large boulder and dropped to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of pink dust. Spock followed close behind him, straightening his shirt after he had landed behind Jim. Any conversation Jim had attempted with Spock had felt forced, and he soon dropped it, speaking only to point out some interesting sight on the horizon.

“Hey, look,” Jim said, pointing a few paces ahead of where they stood. They stopped in front of a cluster of circular, flat flowers, bright blue in colour and trembling in the still air.

Jim touched a petal and it fell still, only resuming motion when he had pulled his hand away. “Neat…” he mumbled, looking over at Spock, and was surprised to see a soft smile had graced the Vulcan’s lips. They spent one more quiet moment watching the flowers, then were pulled off in another direction to marvel at something else.


End file.
